move everything or buy there?

[emichele]

So I am most likely moving all the way across the country, from california to georgia. my boyfriend and I have been living together for almost three years, and we have a very full one bedroom apartment right now, full of stuff that we've taken the time to choose and take care of. Not that we have really nice furniture, but our apartment is very homey. I'm wondering if it would be better to move all of our stuff with us, or just move what we can take in our (very small, 2door honda civic) car and buy the big stuff there. What is everyone else doing?

[Russophile]

Still trying to figure that out... I just have to figure out if everything I would replace would cost me more than $1500 to replace. If yes, then it is all going in a Uhaul and coming with me, if no, then I guess I will store it with my parents for 2 years until I finish. For me, it is really an issue of cost and time. I suspect that taking the time to go out and find new furniture will not, for me, be worth the stress of shopping on a very limited budget. Good luck with whatever you decide. I look forward to hearing what others are doing.

[joro]

You can always rent a moving van or hire people. If you're not keen on selling stuff due to sentimental reasons, you can always store it public storage and retrieve it when/if you move back.

[DJLamar]

Ha, I'll be moving from Georgia to Ithaca, NY. I'm going to take all my clothes and books of course when I drive up there, but absolutely no furniture. Probably little utilities like clothes hampers I will also just buy once I get up there. I hate packing things in general...

[pea-jay]

Price it out with movers and do-it-your self van rentals. All moves are NOT created equal. If you are moving out of an area other people are leaving from you'll pay $$$ to move. On the other hand if you are going against flow, it'll be much cheaper. I paid 1600 to move a large 2br house worth of stuff moving from CA (after selling off many items). A year later I paid maybe $160 to return to the state. It literally was 10% the original price and a total eye-opener.

[VUbrat08]

I'll be moving from the Metro Atlanta area to Chicago, and I'm only planning on taking clothes and the smaller electronics I have (TV, VHS/DVD player, gaming console, computers, etc.). The rest I'll be buying when I get there.

Edited March 25, 2010 by VUbrat08

[UnlikelyGrad]

What does your boyfriend think?

I personally don't care much about my furniture. I was inclined to take the same approach as my little sis, who's moved coast-to-coast twice--sell it all (except books!), re-buy (used) at the destination.

My husband, on the other hand, is very attached to our furniture. So...yeah. We're keeping almost everything, except the ratty couch. Note that after almost 20 years of marriage, it won't all fit in even the largest U-Haul. Expensive!! (But on the other hand, we've spent probably $10k on furniture over the years, so spending $3k on moving might be worth it...)

[Genomic Repairman]

When I moved 1200 miles, I sold off all my stuff and bought new. But here is the trick, I bought my furniture at one of those national chains. So I purchased them at the store at my old location and got them shipped from a store from the new location so my delivery fee was only $150. I think with what I sold off and how much I paid to completely furnish a 1 bedroom apartment, including a TV I shelled out an extra $1500. For me it was worth it so all I had to do was pull a small trailer behind my Jeep when I moved and was able to forgo the giant ass Uhaul.

[rising_star]

I moved cross-country for my PhD. I drove out in my car (a 4-door compact sedan) with my aunt. The car was loaded down, though no roof carrier or anything. I even disassembled my desk (glass, cost $160 and I love it) and moved it in the car. I also mailed 6 boxes of books and 2-3 boxes of other stuff. My mom flew out to help me get settled in, and she brought two suitcases of my clothes with her. I didn't have much furniture before, and what I did have was mostly hand-me-downs from my family, so I sold my mattress, gave my dresser to my brother, and sold the smaller stuff on Craig's List (ironically, I sold a bunch of it from someone who had just moved from the city I was moving to).

If you're considering getting a U-Haul/Penske/truck, remember to factor in gasoline. When I moved two years ago, gas was $4/gallon so there were surcharges from moving companies to cover gas. Plus, those big rental trucks get terrible fuel economy (my car got 32 miles per gallon on the highway on that trip). So, just keep the gas in mind if you decide to go the move-it-yourself route.

[NeuroNerd86]

Has anybody moved anything by rail? My friend did some research on that and it seems really cheap. But is it good?

[Postbib Yeshuist]

A one-way U-Hual is always an option or, if you're adventurous, you could install a hitch on your Civic and rent a U-Haul trailer. The latter would likely run no more than $100 or 2 and you could fit a LOT in there. Just remember that buying furniture when you arrive will more than likely be the same cost as just moving the furniture you already like across country.

[DJLamar]

A one-way U-Hual is always an option or, if you're adventurous, you could install a hitch on your Civic and rent a U-Haul trailer. The latter would likely run no more than $100 or 2 and you could fit a LOT in there. Just remember that buying furniture when you arrive will more than likely be the same cost as just moving the furniture you already like across country.

You are making the assumption that I actually like the furniture that I have

[grendel]

I will be moving to the States from Europe, so I'm limited to whatever I can bring in two suitcases (and whatever I or my friends/family can bring on subsequents trips to the US), so I'll mostly be taking my clothes and a few books. Maybe a few things for the kitchen, but obviously very few electronic devices or furniture.

I would like to take the opportunity and complain about the American customary system of units and the 110 V voltage in the US!

Edited March 25, 2010 by grendel

[pea-jay]

I would like to take the opportunity and complain about the American customary system of units and the 110 V voltage in the US!

Who doesnt? I moved to Europe and had to worry about the 220V blowing out my stuff. Personally like Metric other than Celsius so that wasnt an issue.

Fortunately the 220 stuff and 110 stuff is all made in China now so it is easily replaced.

[pea-jay]

If you're considering getting a U-Haul/Penske/truck, remember to factor in gasoline. When I moved two years ago, gas was $4/gallon so there were surcharges from moving companies to cover gas. Plus, those big rental trucks get terrible fuel economy (my car got 32 miles per gallon on the highway on that trip). So, just keep the gas in mind if you decide to go the move-it-yourself route.

If possible, locate a diesel. They're more efficient.

Dont forget that some directional moves are more expensive than others.

[emichele]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I guess the thing that I'm really attached to is... my bed. Which I bought myself after I graduated and is so nice and comfortable. And beds cost so much, so I don't really want to buy a new one. But tt seems like both options are going to be really expensive! Maybe we'll move into a studio and barely need any furniture at all....

Edited March 26, 2010 by emichele

[gsams]

Have you thought about PODS? A move could cost as little as $1000.00 for you. You load it and unpack it yourself.

[Postbib Yeshuist]

You are making the assumption that I actually like the furniture that I have

hahahahaha. Yes, that's true. In that case, leave it behind

[amercanist]

I am moving from Texas to Michigan next week and decided I am fitting whatever I can in my little Mazda 3 and purchasing the big stuff up there (luckily there is an IKEA nearby). Thus far my most space consuming items are my books - I am doing a history PhD so I have a ton from my MA program. Clothes are a close second with my electronics coming in last. Like a previous poster, I am disassembling my desk, entertainment center, and any other piece of IKEA furniture I can that will fit in my car. Whatever doesn't fit is getting donated to charity or stored in my folks garage (it's what they are there for, right?). Buying a bed and couch will be the biggest problem since I know no one, so I figure I'll just buy it somewhere locally that delivers - otherwise, there's always someone selling their crap on craigslist for cheap.

[archguy]

I think I'm going to use Door-to-Door. It'll cost me about $2,500, but the things I have are pretty expensive and would cost more to buy again than to move. This is the price of working for about 15 years before returning to school. You have a lot of stuff with you that you've gathered that will be much harder to get when you get out. And, there's lots of sentimental stuff that you also take. Also, I know I'll be so poor when I get out of school that I'll not be able to buy the TV that I was thinking of getting rid of during the move. Door to door will charge me $1,500 for one big 8 x 5 x 7 box and then another $800 for another box, which I'm going ot take. It'll take 2, but I've just got oto many books and a nice couch,a nd 2 bikes, and computer stuff, and my entire life.... ugh... Just too much to give away, and then not be able to replace on poverty and internship wages when I'm done.

[Riotbeard]

I am doing a combo of moving and ordering from ikea... I am moving my bed, desk, a chair, 10 boxes of books, too much clothes, brewing equipment, cookware/appliances, and tv to NOLA, but I am going to Ikea tomorrow in Atlanta to figure out what I want to order fill in the gaps (by gaps, I mean virtually everything). I am moving somewhere for 5-7 years, I would rather spend a little money to keep the stuff I love than have to start back at sqare one, but then again I am not moving cross country, just six hours...

[coyabean]

I got to tell you, I'm packing what fits into my car and hitting the road and I'm only going from NC to GA!

Granted, my apartment has been rented partially furnished for the past 18 months so I've already shed most of my "real" furniture from my previous life. Most of it is at my parent's house or with a family member who needed it and it's too much hassle to go from city to city. My dad's back isn't what it was when I was 18, I'm not what I was when I was 18 and it'll be summer time.

So, I plan on buying when I'm there. I figure it's a minimum of five years so I can justify buying semi-quality stuff more than I can justify hauling stuff down there.

[grad_wannabe]

Awesome topic! So glad others are grappling with this. I'm moving from CA to Cambridge, Mass.

I'm still a young'n and this is my first really big move away from home, so I want my dad to come with me and help move me in. He got pretty excited for the road trip. I'm thinking we're probably going to rent an SUV and drive it cross-country, since my grad housing comes furnished (luckily!) and the biggest things I'll be bringing are my computer and posters and fake plants. I'll probably buy a cheap TV and VCR to watch videotapes on (I have a nonsense love for videotapes) and a bike out there.

I don't really have any furniture of my own. Decided to leave my car here, as I'll be living on campus and won't need it (and certainly can't afford it on my stipend!). I have been hitting up antique shops for little trinkets, definitely settling into nesting mode!

I thought about PODS and JetBlue freight, but the roadtrip seems more appropriate in a coming-of-age movie kind of way.

[hubris]

I am leaning towards sell what cannot be taken, and replace at the destination.

This is based off of replacement costs.

[modernity]

As someone who has moved cross country (2000 miles) about 6 times in the last three years... unless your furniture is worth over about 3000 dollars -or has major sentimental value to you, leave it and buy new. I've priced everything from UHauls, to PODS, to moving companies and they all - for a one bedroom plus, for a distance like that, will cost thousands. You can generally furnish a new apartment with the help of IKEA or a cheap furniture store for about that much - and its much less hassle. Drive the car(s) you have - load them down with everything - ship everything else, and let the big stuff go - or better yet sell it on craigslist - and not only will you save yourself the 3K + but you'll have some money to help pay for the new stuff.